PATRICK Duane has been head chef at Italian restaurant Piccolino in Stockton Heath for around 10 years.

Here, the 40-year-old reveals some of his top secrets and inspirations in the kitchen.

The essential ingredient in the kitchen is…

There are so many but I would have to say butter.

It is used in so many dishes and many would not taste the same without it.

I also believe provenance is key when sourcing ingredients.

When dining at Piccolino you will notice that our menu includes a little bit of information about some of the ingredients we use to create our dishes.

We are committed to using the finest seasonal produce and are proud to be associated with a variety of fantastic artisan producers.

We are that passionate about provenance we even have our own butcher’s shop in Cheshire, where our team of skilled butchers source the very best meat.

Our meat and poultry are fully traceable back to the farm.

The first kitchen I worked in…

It was a busy seafood restaurant in Clifden Co Galway in Ireland, where I am originally from.

My first professional job was…

A kitchen porter at the same seafood restaurant in Ireland.

The first dish I prepared service for was…

A crab salad. We were a very busy seafood restaurant and we would receive all the fish fresh every morning from the local fishing harbour – the smell of fresh fish is amazing.

The signature dish people associate me with...

Years ago, I used to make a dish for the staff in a previous job which they called ‘the chicken thing’ because I wouldn’t share the recipe with anyone.

No matter how hard they tried, nobody was able to discover the recipe or make it as good as me. It was never given a name.

My biggest kitchen disaster was…

While I was working as a kitchen porter and first starting out in the kitchen, me and my co-worker spilled 40 litres of dirty fryer oil down three flights of wooden stairs an hour before we were due to open, the kitchen was on the third floor and we had to carry it down for collection.

The head chef and owner were not happy but luckily we managed to get it cleaned up in time.

My favourite chefs are…

Marco Pierre White has to be my favourite – he really is head and shoulders above the rest in my opinion.

Away from the kitchen my favourite meal is…

I just love seafood generally but it has to be fresh.

At Piccolino we go to great lengths to bring our guests truly amazing fish, responsibly caught from sustainable sources, including some of the finest day boat fish from around the British Isles.

We’ve developed strong partnerships with small independent family run suppliers – like Chapmans of Rye on the south coast of England – to ensure we get the best fish direct from their boats.